Photo Friday on Saturday: Yoga at 10 Weeks Pregnant

Daily Life at 10 Weeks: It's still hard to believe there are the beginnings of a baby inside me. I've outgrown my jeans. You'll notice in this week's video that my waist line is a bit thicker. But I'm not showing, so no one can tell I'm pregnant. I'm starting to break the news to more and more people at work and in my neighborhood. I love watching people's reactions and feeling excited all over again. One week from Monday, I get to hear the heart beat for the first time. If all goes well, I'll be comfortable broadcasting my news to the world. In other words, I'll finally make a Facebook announcement.

Practice at 10 Weeks: Even though it's hard to believe something is living inside me, I had my first glimpse of bonding with my baby in prenatal yoga class. The teacher had us put one hand on our lower abdomens and the other hand on our hearts. "Place your hands so that your heart beat and your baby's heart beat are connected." I opened my eyes and smiled.

Why Prenatal Yoga Class is a Must for Your Pre-baby Budget

Ever wonder what goes on in prenatal yoga class besides Baddha Konasana (Bound Angle Pose) and side-lying Savasana (Corpse Pose)? I took a shot at an Anusara prenatal class last week and feel relieved that I never followed through on my intention to teach a prenatal yoga class in my neighborhood—I would have had no idea what I was doing. A good prenatal yoga class is not a scaled-down version of a normal class, and it certainly takes more than mounds of blankets as props.

Here’s what I learned in just 1.5 hours, which is why I’ve decided to fork over the money for weekly classes for the first time in 2 years.

Sit Up Straight to Avoid Back Labor: If you let your lower back slouch so that it looses that natural curve, it turns into a hammock for the baby. The baby will rotate its itsy bitsy spine against your spine, possibly leading to back labor—an even more uncomfortable experience than regular labor. You can bet I’m sitting up straight at my desk so that my belly is the only possible hammock for my baby.

Cheesy Statements Make a Difference: Utkatasana (Chair Pose) has a whole new meaning when you’re carrying an extra 15 pounds of baby and uterus in your middle (so I hear). In my first class, the teacher guided us into this pose and then proceeded to firmly assert that we are strong, we are mamas, we can do anything. It sounds cheesy, but when you’re pregnant, those statements make you feel on top of the world and convince you that maybe—just maybe—you can handle labor and birth.

Settle Controversy by Doing What Feels Best. Just as with diet and other lifestyle decisions, there are controversies over what pregnant women should and should not do in yoga practice. My teacher did an awesome job at pointing out the controversies—for example, forward bends—and then instructed us to do what feels best.

It’s refreshing to practice with other pregnant women and discover another frontier of knowledge and experience in my yoga journey. What’s your latest yoga frontier?

Photo Friday on Saturday: Yoga at 9 Weeks Pregnant

Thanks to my mom, I discovered didgeridoo music and added it to my 9 week video. To those of you who continue to drop by and check out my weekly updates—thanks for hanging in there! I know there's not much to see right now, but I hope these posts contribute to the journeys of pregnant yogis who come after me and add to the limited but growing knowledge bank of real prenatal yoga information.

Daily Life at 9 Weeks: What a difference one week can bring. I'm slowly reclaiming my energy and celebrating food again as my nausea subsides. I know this isn't normal, and I count myself blessed. I can still sleep like a champ, and I do still get the occasional bout of nausea to let me know my zygote (that's its nickname) is still hanging out in my belly.

Yoga at 9 Weeks: I took my first prenatal yoga class this week. As a doula and former childbirth educator, the teacher is right up my alley. I love how she uses the baby as verbal cue material: "Bring the baby up towards the ceiling; Curl the baby in towards your spine." I'm definitely going back, although I can't decide whether to stay with the basic prenatal class that fits my schedule perfectly or check out the prenatal level 2 class that meets on Sundays. My first class showed me that there's a whole world of prenatal yoga knowledge I have yet to learn. I'll share more about this throughout the coming week.

Inversions during Pregnancy from a Yogi’s Perspective

Since my pregnancy has taken over this blog in addition to my baby blog, I figured it’s time to start providing more substantive information about practice during pregnancy. Maybe you’re not pregnant, and maybe you never want to be pregnant, but you’re bound to either teach or be friends with a pregnant yogi who could use a few pointers. So, listen up!

I’m going to start by tackling a long-standing controversy: Should pregnant women avoid or embrace inversions?

Upside Down or Right Side Up?

Some prenatal yoga books and videos assert a blanket recommendation to avoid inversions during pregnancy. But what do the experts say? It depends on your pre-pregnancy practice. If you did not practice inversions before pregnancy, it’s not wise to learn inversions during pregnancy. Even if you did practice inversions before becoming pregnant, this is not the time to experiment with inversions or push yourself in inverted poses that are challenging for you. However, if you practiced inversions comfortably before becoming pregnant, it’s probably beneficial to continue the poses through pregnancy.

Benefits of Inversions during Pregnancy

I turned to Geeta Iyengar’s Yoga: a Gem for Women and David Coulter’s Anatomy of Hatha Yoga to read up on the benefits of inversions during pregnancy. Here’s what I found specific to Sirsasana (Headstand):

• Ensures proper blood circulation to the uterus
• Creates space in the pelvic cavity for the baby to move around
• Relieves venous pressure in the legs, which may relieve and prevent varicose veins
• Promotes hormonal balance by increasing blood flow to the head and neck. This is especially good for the thyroid gland, as a deficiency in thyroid hormone can lead to miscarriage.

When to Stop Inversions

Geeta says she and her father have guided pregnant women through inversions all the way through the third trimester, so you may not have to stop. However, Geeta and Senior Iyengar teacher Patricia Walden advise that inversions should be discontinued if you experience heaviness in the pelvis or if breathing becomes difficult. If you do have to stop inversions, consider switching to Viparita Karani (legs up the wall pose) to continue reaping the benefits of inversions without assuming unnecessary risks.

Bottom Line

As with all yoga poses during pregnancy, let your intuition be your guide. If it feels good, do it. If it doesn’t, stop.

(Frantic disclaimer: This post is for informational purposes only. It is not a substitute for advice from your health care provider or a real live yoga teacher.)

Photo Friday: Yoga at 8 Weeks Pregnant

Daily Life at 8 Weeks: After learning to manage depression for the past nearly 10 years, I thought pregnancy hormones would be a cinch to navigate. I now retract that preconception. I'm definitely more weepy and quick to anger these days. But just like my nausea and fatigue, it's not that bad. I'd say I have a mild case of what most women experience during the first trimester. I remain grateful for being able to carry out my daily routine and not getting sidelined by the severe symptoms many other women experience.

Practice at 8 Weeks: I'll be honest—I'm not practicing asana all that much. I get in a full asana practice and a brief meditation session about once per week. When I do practice, I focus on restorative poses. Activities like swimming feel best to me right now, so that's what I'm doing. Next week I'm going to my first prenatal yoga class. Hopefully that will jump start my routine.

Photo Friday on Saturday: Yoga at 7 Weeks Pregnant

Due to 7 week pregnancy hormones, photo Friday was postponed to Saturday here at Write on Yoga.

Daily Life at 7 Weeks: Nausea and fatigue are making daily life difficult. I consider every day an accomplishment no matter what. I can't eat much, yet I've already had to break out a rubber band to fasten my jeans on casual Friday.

Practice at 7 Weeks: Yoga and swimming make me feel temporarily wonderful. I don't always feel like stepping on the mat or jumping in the pool, but once I'm there, I'm good. I'm scoping out a prenatal class that starts in 2 more weeks. Still plugging along at these videos, and can't wait to see the poses grow!